Ashley Shaw couldn’t hold back her curiosity when she saw Warren Prescott sitting straight down on the sofa and starting to enjoy the red tea handed over by the staff, so she walked over and asked, "Aren’t we going shopping to buy gifts? What’s this... Are we waiting for someone?"
Warren Prescott stared at her for two seconds and suddenly said, "Grandpa never took you shopping?"
Ashley Shaw shook her head.
"Nope. Why?"
"Nothing, you can sit too."
Said Warren Prescott, setting down the red tea in his hand and glancing at the middle-aged man who was guiding them.
"We can start now."
"Yes."
Watching them talk, Ashley Shaw felt like they were speaking in riddles.
Start what? What did Warren Prescott mean by starting?
Shopping while sitting here? How funny! He said he was in a hurry, and she believed him. But now, she couldn’t see the slightest sign that Warren Prescott was in a hurry.
If he really was in a hurry, he should be rushing out the door to shop, not sitting here leisurely sipping tea.
What Ashley Shaw didn’t expect was that her words would come true.
The middle-aged man somehow pulled out a tablet, tapped a few times, and the large screen in front of the sofa lit up.
The screen showed a 3D map of the place called "The Apex" shopping mall, with brand names and featured products clearly labeled.
And the map was live, as she could see people moving around.
Ashley Shaw was puzzled about the reason for looking at this map when she heard the middle-aged man inquire, "Miss Shaw, which store would you like to start with?"
Ashley’s governor and conception vessels were instantly opened.
She finally understood what she couldn’t comprehend earlier.
—It really was shopping while sitting.
The way wealthy people shopped was completely different from how ordinary folks like her did.
Indeed, her perspective was too narrow.
Shock surged through her, along with a stirring resentment against the rich.
Damn, the rich were really infuriating!
Maybe noticing her standing there without saying a word, Warren Prescott, sitting beside, spoke up.
"Make a quick choice; only one hour and eleven minutes are left."
Ashley Shaw was confused: "Is there a time limit for ’shopping’ in this mall?"
The middle-aged man noticed Ashley Shaw’s ignorance and kindly explained, "Shopping at The Apex has no time limit; it’s open 24 hours. However, Mr. Prescott Jr. ordered that the mall be cleared for two hours today. You were originally scheduled to arrive at 3:10 PM, but it’s now almost 4 PM. So only one hour and eleven minutes of clearing time are left."
"...Oh." Ashley Shaw replied awkwardly after hearing that.
She realized she had been suspicious when she got off the car earlier.
No wonder Warren Prescott said he was in a hurry; he was rushing to clear the mall on time, so he drove fast.
Everything he said was true, without a bit of exaggeration.
Thinking about the anger she had vented at that time, Ashley Shaw felt embarrassment and regret.
Warren Prescott cast a cold glance at her, as if saying, "Why are you babbling?"
The middle-aged man immediately turned his gaze away, avoiding further chatter, only repeating the question, "Miss Shaw, which store would you like to visit first? Or if you don’t have a particular favorite brand, you can tell me a category, and I can suggest stores for you."
Ashley Shaw snapped out of her shock, knowing the urgency, and quickly thought.
"Let’s start with... accessories. Men’s. Age..."
"Don’t worry, we know the gift is for Leo. We’ll choose something suitable for him," said the middle-aged man.
Ashley Shaw once again smelled the capitalist air.
How could anyone shop and the clerk already know who the gift was for?
Damn the wealthy!
She forced a smile.
"Alright, thank you."
"Then please wait a moment."
The middle-aged man operated on the tablet, and Ashley Shaw saw several stores turn red. Then she saw staff from those stores carrying bags, heading to the elevator, destined for the large room they were in.
This time her judgment was correct; they really were coming to her.
In less than five minutes, a range of men’s accessories was neatly laid out on the long table before her.
There were ties, watches, brooches, and more.
Each type of accessory had three or four different styles and brands to choose from, all quite matching Leo’s temperament.
Ashley Shaw carefully chose, but due to time constraints, she didn’t dawdle and pointed directly at a brooch that looked understated yet dignified.
"This one."
"You don’t want to look at more options? You’ve only picked from the accessories category so far."
"No need." Ashley Shaw waved her hand.
Aren’t we in a hurry?
Let’s get it over with quickly.
The brooch seemed quite nice, very suitable for Leo.
"Alright, I’ll wrap it up for you."
"Okay." Ashley Shaw didn’t even check the price, thinking that a brooch would at most be in the tens of thousands, which her current financial situation could support.
Leo helped rush her mother’s surgery; this favor certainly deserved this price.
Soon, the brooch Ashley Shaw selected was packaged nicely and placed in a bag at her feet.
While taking out her bank card, Ashley Shaw asked, "Can I pay by card?"
The middle-aged man didn’t speak, only shifted his gaze to Warren Prescott.
Ashley Shaw subconsciously looked over as well.
Warren Prescott turned his eyes to her with a "Are you kidding?" expression.
"What’s wrong? Can’t I use a card here?" She didn’t have any cash on her.
"Shopping with me, I would let you pay?" Warren Prescott said.
"But..."
"If you insist, you can pay yourself."
"I’d rather pay myself," Ashley Shaw said. "It’s my gesture."
Warren Prescott tossed out a blank expression: "Suit yourself."
The middle-aged man then brought over the card machine.
"Miss Shaw, the total is 1.07 million; we’ve already rounded off the change for you."
Ashley Shaw’s eyes widened dramatically.
"Sorry, how much less?"
The middle-aged man thought she hadn’t heard clearly. After all, anyone coming with Mr. Prescott Jr. wasn’t lacking money, right?
So he kindly repeated, "The total is 1.07 million; we’ve rounded off the change for you."
What kind of brooch costs over a million?!
With that amount, she could buy a house in a second-tier city!
Unbelieving, Ashley Shaw asked for the receipt. It indeed read 1,079,650.
It was rounded off.
But her original budget was just the rounded-off amount.
Ashley Shaw’s hand holding the receipt was sweating; her facial expression and limbs were stiff.
Could she... not buy it?
But obviously, she couldn’t.
Because she saw they had cut off the tag before packaging it.
Ashley Shaw had a fleeting urge to cry.
Damn it! Why didn’t she check the price before buying?
She had some money, but not enough to buy two brooches.